Every golfer hits a plateau. You’re practicing hard, playing often, but the scores won’t budge. You might feel like you’re just one swing thought away from a breakthrough, or maybe you’ve started tinkering with your grip, your stance, or even switching clubs just to shake something loose. Here’s a secret most players overlook: the problem might not be your swing at all — it might be how you practice. If your practice routine looks the same every time, you’re probably just reinforcing the habits that keep you stuck. And that’s where golf practice games come in.
Most Practice Doesn’t Prepare You to Score Better
When players plateau, their practice usually gets more technical. More reps, more drills, more positions. But the issue is often that your practice doesn’t look anything like how you play. You hit 30 balls to the same target. You chip 10 in a row from one spot. You putt from the same place until you make three in a row. None of that builds pressure. None of that simulates a real round. And none of it challenges your brain. Golf practice games do all of that, and that’s why they work.
How Practice Games Break the Plateau
A good golf practice game does a few things:
- It gives you a clear goal
- It adds some form of pressure
- It makes each shot count
- It gives you feedback right away
- And most importantly — it keeps you engaged
That combination is what breaks scoring plateaus. It forces your brain and body to adapt — not just repeat.
Try These Golf Practice Games
If you’re stuck and want to play better, build these into your next practice session:
🟢 Leapfrog Chipping
Set a front boundary line and a back boundary line about 21ft apart. Chip a ball just over the front boundary, the next ball must go past the previous shot but stay short of the back boundary. Repeat until a ball fails to go past the previous shot or goes past the back boundary.
🟢 10-15-25ft Putting
Set three balls at 10ft, 15ft, and 25ft from a hole. Place a club 2-3ft behind the cup. Attempt to hit each putt past the front edge of the hole but short of the club behind the hole. For every putt that stops in the safe zone you get one point, if you make it that is 2 points. Record your high score.
🟢 Club Face Challenge
Pick a target and determine if you are going to hit a shot left or right of it. Keeping your stance square to the target line hit a shot as far left or right as possible. The next shot must be slightly closer to the target line than the previous shot. Continue doing this until you hit one further from the target line or crosses to the other side of the target.
🟢 1 Flag 3 Clubs
Pick a target flag to aim for. Attempt to hit that target with 3 different clubs. Track your average distance from the target for the three shots.
🟢 Flip a Card from
This is the easiest way to inject variety and competition into your practice. The Legends of the Links deck is full of golf practice games that cover every part of your game — from putting to full swing to bunker shots — and every card creates a new challenge. Flip it, read the challenge, and try to beat it. Play head-to-head, or just beat your best.
Why Games Work When Drills Don’t
Drills are about repetition. Games are about adaptation. Drills tell your body what to do. Games ask your brain to figure it out. If you’re stuck in the same score range, doing the same reps won’t fix it. What you need is to change the environment. Add stakes. Add fun. Add randomness. That’s what golf practice games do. And they work for every level. Whether you’re a kid trying to break 100, or a scratch golfer trying to shoot in the 60s, the right game can wake your game up.
Final Thought
You don’t need a better swing to shoot better scores. You need better practice. Golf practice games are how you make every shot matter. And when every shot matters in practice, you’re way more prepared when they matter in competition. If you want a shortcut to making practice more fun — and more effective — grab the Legends of the Links golf card game. One flip, and your plateau might just start to disappear.